BMW teases sleek electric sedan concept for Frankfurt

There seems to be plenty going on at BMW, which is set to make a big impact at next week’s IAA show in Frankfurt. According to Autocar’s regular German brand correspondent Greg Kable, the much-rumoured BMW i5 Concept will be making its debut at BMW’s home motor show. Earlier today, we saw an image of the supposed i5, which matches patent images that surfaced last year.

BMW has now released teaser images of a mystery concept car that will be unwrapped in Frankfurt. Is this the i5 Concept? Now, we know that the i5 is a four-door notchback-style sedan, but the car behind the blue cloth appears sleeker lower, longer and sleeker than what has been suggested by the i5’s patent images.

So, there’s high chance that the car under wraps is something else, something more grand, an luxurious EV that matches the Tesla Model S in desirability. Or it could be simply the i5 turning out to be quite the looker. In any case, it will be all be revealed in a few days time.

What’s for sure is BMW, like most of its peers in the auto industry, is doubling down on EVs. “When the rules of the game change, we want to be the ones rewriting them,” BMW chairman Harald Krüger declared yesterday in a statement.

Expect the whole group’s products to be electrified. “Our strong commitment to e-mobility is underlined in Number One > Next. We will be increasing the share of electrified models across all brands and model series. And, yes, that also includes the Rolls-Royce brand and BMW M vehicles,” he added.

We’re not sure how BMW M’s traditional qualities can be fused into an EV, so be prepared to leave behind all that we know and love about M cars. If it doesn’t turn out bad, that’s a bonus.

The BMW chief also said that his company will offer 25 electrified vehicles by 2025, 12 of them fully electric.

“At the IAA, you will see the concept vehicle for the first series electric MINI, for release in 2019. As we have announced, we will be introducing the first BMW core model – the X3 – as a BEV in 2020. Going forward, all fully-electric BMWs will belong to BMW i. This also applies to the X3. We have also announced the BMW iNext – our next innovation spearhead – for 2021,” he continued.

The mystery car you see here is described as “a vision of how we imagine a four-door, fully-electric vehicle between the i3 and i8.” Exciting times ahead. Just around the corner, in fact.

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